“Don’t worry too much about the content. Just hit the keywords – it’s just for SEO.”
I’ve gotten instructions like this more often than I want to think about. In fact, it’s such a pervasive attitude these days that I feel like it needs to be addressed. Today, I want to share with you why sentiments like this about your copy equate to a terrible approach to content creation and how you can really maximize your SEO efforts through readability.
The Truth about SEO
Even in 2016, there are those marketers out there who are convinced that they will get better page rankings simply by seeding copy with powerful keywords and that it doesn’t matter how those words are presented. As long as you don’t overdo it, Google will catalog it. There’s just one problem with that theory: It’s complete bull. Google’s algorithm has become so complex that it knows whether what you’re posting is worth reading, and it will most certainly protect its reputation from some marketer’s shenanigans.
In order to even begin positioning your site for good rankings, you have to have good-quality readable content that, when analyzed by Google, fits the criteria necessary for the search engine to endorse it. Without that, you might find other SEO loopholes to move things along to a degree, but you will never, ever see the first page.
Improving Your Bounce Rate
Delivering readable copy is the ideal preventive measure against bounce. For those not in the know, the term bounce refers to a site visitor who takes one look at one page of your site and promptly clicks past. Google measures the number of times this happens in your site’s bounce rate. The higher your bounce rate, the lower your site is going to rank. Why? Remember what we said earlier about the engine being able to spot quality content? Well, it uses visitor data as criteria for whether or not it deems the content worthy of note. Interaction and engagement are huge factors in how well your site ranks which is why it’s so important that people want to interact with your content and go searching for more.
Positioning Yourself as an Authority
You want people to visit your site, read your blog, and engage with you on social media, and yet your copy is strewn with typos and laughable grammatical errors and is so disjointed it’s hard to tell what the point is that you’re trying to make. Now, don’t get offended. I’m not saying you’re an idiot who doesn’t know how to convey your own thoughts – I’m just saying put some actual thought into how those thoughts are presented through your web content writing efforts and over social media. If your copy is all over the map, you might be saying everything you want to say but is anyone getting the message?
An authority on any subject knows how to tackle the subject piece by piece, and that is how you need to start presenting your copy. Yes, you have a wealth of information that you want to share, but you don’t have to cram it all into one article or blog post. You also don’t have to present your ideas in 27 consecutive tweets. If you have that much to say, blog it and tweet the link.
You also present yourself as an authority by choosing to get your information from credible verifiable sources and by citing sources of ideas that aren’t specifically yours. Linking out to other credible sites also helps with page ranking, so use links intelligently and link to good pages that also feature intelligent, readable content.
Increasing Sharability
Readable content gets shared. Let’s face it: Some people will be so impressed just by your ability to form coherent sentences they’ll eat up your content and share it with their friends just as a sign of appreciation. The vast majority, however, will share it because it jibes with their own views. This goes back to the aspect of credibility. No one wants to attract negative comments to their own pages that cite bad information in an article, so back up your opinions and ideas with other authorities. This will help ensure that when your content gets shared, it gets positive attention and subsequently gets shared again.
Getting Your Message out
Finally, it may seem obvious ,but making your content readable is the best way to ensure that you are communicating your message clearly and in a manner that cannot be misheard or misconstrued. Choose your words wisely and take a minimalist approach to clichés and overused language. Just because it’s a buzzword in your niche doesn’t mean people want to get slapped with it for the kajillionth time this month. Be creative and be unique. That’s the kind of content that gets shared and linked to, and both of those things contribute to SEO.